Admissions

We welcome motivated and capable students from diverse backgrounds who will thrive in a highly challenging academic programme and embrace ISU’s overarching commitment to international-mindedness, community and service.

Admissions Policy

Intent:

The International School of Ulaanbaatar aims to attract motivated and capable students from diverse backgrounds who are well matched with the school’s educational programs, while communicating and enhancing our reputation and service to our community.

As demand for enrolment at ISU grows, ISU should ensure that it continues to practise clear and balanced admissions procedures including strategies to assess prospective students’ ability to take advantage of our school’s programs

Non-discrimination Policy: The International School of Ulaanbaatar does not discriminate among students on the basis of race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religion or gender. According to the Articles of Association for the International School of Ulaanbaatar, no one nationality should comprise more than 40% of the student population.

General Admissions Policies:

Applicants to ISU are admitted by the decision of the Director upon the advice of the Head of Primary and Head of Secondary as applicable.

Students are admitted on the basis of

availability of space - based on class size and national quota (see Availability of Space below)

meeting the admissions criteria as stated below

immunisations current and valid (see below)

Children of US citizen employees of the Embassy of the United States are admitted to ISU if it is deemed by the Director that the school can meet the educational needs of the child(ren).

Children with special needs are admitted on a case-by-case basis and only if the Director determines that such needs can be met by ISU.

The student may commence their schooling at ISU once all fees have been paid according to the current fee payment schedule.

Availability of space

The availability of space depends upon the maximum class size for the grade level and the quota requirement of a maximum of 40% on any nationality in the school at any point in time.

Waitlist

If space is not available, and the applicant meets the admissions criteria, the applicant may choose to be placed on the waiting list according to the criteria in 1. h. below. In order to be placed on the waiting list, the non-refundable Registration Fee according to the fees scale for each year must be paid annually. (Parent will be informed annually of the ranking of their child(ren) on the waitlist and the probability of admission for the upcoming school year.)

Admissions and wait list prioritisation

To gain admission to ISU or to earn a place on the waitlist if space is not immediately available, applicants will be ranked as follows:

applicants who are currently attending ISU and are re-enroling for a subsequent year

child of a US citizen who is an employee of the Embassy of the United States of America;

applicant who has one or more siblings already enroled at ISU;

applicants who once attended ISU and now wish to return to ISU;

applicants who demonstrate their readiness for success with the IB curriculum as determined by English language and academic proficiency testing and other screening procedures;

date of application.

Partial deferred admission if place is offered

If a student is offered a place at ISU and the family wishes to defer the offer until later in the same academic year , the offer will only be guaranteed if the Registration Fee and full Capital Building Fund fee is paid immediately according to the fees scale for that year.

No deferral if place is offered to a wait-listed student and the offer is refused for that school year

If a wait-listed student is offered admission and chooses not to accept at the time of the offer for placement during that school year, then their name will be removed from the waitlist and if they wish to apply for admission at a later time, they will begin the process of admission from the beginning, receiving no consideration for prior wait-list placement.

Applicants returning to ISU after prolonged absence

If it is necessary for a student to withdraw temporarily during or at the end of a school year, the student will receive priority for re-enrolment as in 1. h. i. above, as long as the withdrawal period is one calendar year or less. This specific priority will be cancelled one calendar year after withdrawal if the student does not re-enrol for the subsequent year. Re-enrolment will then require re-submission of the Application for Admission form and all required documents as listed in the Admissions Process described in 3. below. Consideration, at the discretion of the Director, will be given to families returning to ISU after prolonged absence and are committed to ISU for the long-term.

Wait listed applicant – cannot be contacted for offer of place

If the school makes every reasonable effort to contact an applicant on the waitlist to enquire as to their intentions to remain on the list (and therefore make the registration payment for the next year) or to offer a place at the school, and the family cannot be contacted by phone or email, then the applicant’s name will be removed from the waitlist.

Prolonged absence from school without prior notification

Students who are absent from the school for more than 1 month without prior notification to ISU, will be considered as withdrawn from ISU and will be deregistered. Their place in the class may be given to any child on the waiting list for that class according to the priority as described above in 1h above.

Grade placement

Grade placement is determined by the age of the child, not by the grade level that the child attended in their previous school. Exceptions are made, usually only at the secondary level, if it is thought to be in the best interests of the child’s probability of success to be placed in a alternate grade level. (See below for further details.)

Children with special educational needs

Children with special needs are admitted on a case-by-case basis and only if the Director determines that such needs can be met by the ISU.

School cannot meet the student’s needs / Student does not meet ISU’s requirements

If by the end of the first year of a student’s enrolment at ISU, it is determined that ISU is not able to meet the student’s educational needs or that the student does not meet ISU’s requirements, the family will be advised and required to withdraw the student at the end of the school year (or earlier if necessary in extreme situations).

Notification period

If a child enters ISU after the start of the school year, there is a 48-hour teacher notification period from the time the admission interviews take place, to the child's first day of school.

Entering ISU after the school year begins

Children who enter ISU from schools with academic years out of synchrony with the ISU academic year, will be placed in the grade according to their date of birth. If they are coming from a school following a southern hemisphere academic calendar or from Japan or from other countries with an April start to the academic year, they will be placed in the grade level equivalent to the grade level of the school from which they are coming. The Director and Heads of Schools will make the final decisions on grade placement.

Grade Level Placement

In the Primary school the student’s age is the primary determinant for grade placement. Interview results are also considered. In the Secondary school the number of completed years of schooling, the student’s age, academic records and interview results are used in determining grade placement. When necessary, further diagnostic testing may be required to aid in the admissions and placement decisions.

Children will be expected to have a sufficient level of competency in English, as determined by the language proficiency testing results, in order to access the IB curriculum. Pre-kindergarten through Grade two primary students may enter ISU with minimal, if any, English language competency.

Admissions Process

Obtain application forms from ISU or the ISU website and prepare all documentation as required. See #4 “Admissions Checklist” below.

Submit the completed application documentation online or via email or as hard copy to the Admissions Assistant at ISU. (admissions@isumongolia.edu.mn)

For PreK to Grade 2 applicants, arrange with the Admissions Assistant for the applicant to attend a screening interview to be conducted by the Primary school administration and staff.

For Grade 3-12 applicants, arrange with the Admissions Assistant for the applicant to sit the English proficiency testing prior to the Admissions Interview.

For all applicants for entry into Grade 3 or above and who have demonstrated appropriate performance with the English proficiency test, or in the case of the PreK-Gr 2 applicants who have successfully passed the screening process, arrange through the Admissions Assistant for an admissions interview to be scheduled with either the Head of Primary or Head of Secondary as appropriate. The applying student as well as their parents attends the interview. For all applicants who have not successfully performed on the testing and/or screening, the Admissions Assistant informs the applicant’s parents of the results and invite them to re-apply at a later time.

For all applicants who have successfully performed on the testing and/or screening, the Admissions Assistant arranges for an interview with the Head of Primary or Secondary as appropriate to discuss the application documents and testing results with the family, the need for further testing and/or EAL or other support if applicable, and the grade level placement.

The Head of Primary or Secondary as appropriate signs the application for admission form and recommends or does not recommend admission of the applicant to the Director. The application file is transferred to the Admissions Assistant.

The Admissions Assistant passes the application file to the Director who makes the final decision on the admission and signs the admission application form. The application file is transferred to the Admissions Assistant.

If admitted, the Admissions Assistant as appropriate notifies the family that they have an offer of admission to ISU. The family must confirm their acceptance or rejection of the offer. If the student is accepted, then the family must immediately pay the Registration Fee, the Capital Building Fund Fee and the tuition fee as listed on the fees schedule for that year. The family may postpone the offer according to 1i. above. If the family rejects the offer, the applicants name is removed from the application and waiting lists..

If the applicant is not admitted, the Admissions Assistant notifies the family.

On confirmation of acceptance from the family, the Admissions Assistant forwards the admission forms to the Accounts Manager. The Accounts Manager generates the invoice for payment, including the non-refundable Registration Fee and Capital Building Fund Fee and forwards the invoice to the family.

The Accounts Manager forwards the application file to the Receptionist who enters the student’s information into the database. Receptionist then files the application file in the student files cabinet in the office of the Deputy Director.

Admissions Checklist

The admissions process requires submission of the following:

signed ISU Application for Admission Cover Page (page 1)

completed Previous Schooling Information (page 3)

completed ISU Personal Information form (page 4)

completed ISU Health Record form (page 5)

completed ISU Educational Background form (page 6)

copy of official immunization records (translated if not in English)

copies of the student's last 2 years school records in English and including standardised test results and IEPs (if any)

confidential ISU Reference form completed by student’s current Head of school (separate)

2 passport sized or digital photographs of the applying student (not including photo on cover page)

photocopy or digital copy of the applying student’s passport or birth certificate

Immunization Records

Children entering the ISU are required to prove that their immunizations for the following diseases are up-to-date:

Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT)

Polio (TOPV)

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

Hepatitis B

Tuberculosis: (BCG or evidence of freedom from active tuberculosis as shown by a chest X-ray or approved intra-dermal tuberculin test)

Program Policies & Procedures: III-A

Revised: April 1998; Modified: April 2000, and June 2001. Revised: March 2008; September 2010, March 2012, November 2012; reviewed and revised April 2013;

Policy Statement: Admissions

Intent:

The International School of Ulaanbaatar aims to attract motivated and capable students from diverse backgrounds who are well matched with the school’s educational programs, while communicating and enhancing our reputation and service to our community.

As demand for enrolment at ISU grows, ISU should ensure that it continues to practise clear and balanced admissions procedures including strategies to assess prospective students’ ability to take advantage of our school’s programs

Non-discrimination Policy: The International School of Ulaanbaatar does not discriminate among students on the basis of race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religion or gender. According to the Articles of Association for the International School of Ulaanbaatar, no one nationality should comprise more than 40% of the student population.

Procedures

1. General Admissions Policies:

a. Applicants to ISU are admitted by the decision of the Director upon the advice of the Head of Primary and Head of Secondary as applicable.

b. Students are admitted on the basis of

i. availability of space - based on class size and national quota (see Availability of Space below)

ii. meeting the admissions criteria as stated in 2. below

iii. immunisations current and valid (see 6. below)

c. Children of US citizen employees of the Embassy of the United States are admitted to ISU if it is deemed by the Director that the school can meet the educational needs of the child(ren).

d. Children with special needs are admitted on a case-by-case basis and only if the Director determines that such needs can be met by ISU.

e. The student may commence their schooling at ISU once all fees have been paid according to the current fee payment schedule.

Availability of space

f. The availability of space depends upon the maximum class size for the grade level and the quota requirement of a maximum of 40% on any nationality in the school at any point in time.

g. If space is not available, and the applicant meets the admissions criteria, the applicant may choose to be placed on the waiting list. In order to be placed on the waiting list, the non-refundable registration fee of USD 150 must be paid annually and to be applied to tuition upon enrolment. (Parent will be informed annually of the ranking of their child(ren) on the waitlist and the probability of admission for the upcoming school year.)

Admissions and Waiting list Prioritisation

h. To gain admission to ISU or to earn a place on the waitlist if space is not immediately available, applicants will be ranked as follows:

i. applicants who are currently attending ISU and are re-enroling for a subsequent year

ii. child of a US citizen who is an employee of the Embassy of the United States of America;

iii. applicant who has one or more siblings already enroled at ISU;

iv. applicants who once attended ISU and now wish to return to ISU;

v. applicants who demonstrate their readiness for success with the IB curriculum as determined by English language and academic proficiency testing and other screening procedures;

vi. date of application.

Deferred admission

i. If a student is offered a place at ISU and the family wishes to defer the offer until later in the same academic year (e.g. perhaps is not in Ulaanbaatar at the time of the offer), the offer will only be guaranteed if the Registration Fee and Capital Building Fund fee is paid immediately according to the fees scale for that year.

Applicants returning to ISU after prolonged absence

j. If it is necessary for a student to withdraw temporarily during a school year, the student will also receive priority for re-enrolment as long as the withdrawal period is one calendar year or less. This priority will be cancelled one calendar year after withdrawal if the student does not re-enrol for the subsequent year. Re-enrolment will require re-submission of the Application for Admission form and all required documents as listed in 3. below. Such applicants will be placed on the waitlist as in 1g. above.

k. Students who are absent from the school for more than 1 month without prior notification to ISU, will be considered as withdrawn from ISU and will be deregistered. Their place in the class may be given to any child on the waiting list for that class according to the priority as described above in 1h above.

Grade placement

l. Grade placement is determined by the age of the child, not by the grade level that the child attended in their previous school. Exceptions are made, usually only at the secondary level, if it is thought to be in the best interests of the child’s probability of success to be placed in a alternate grade level. (See below for further details.)

Children with special educational needs

m. Children with special needs are admitted on a case-by-case basis and only if the Director determines that such needs can be met by the ISU.

School cannot meet the student’s needs / Student does not meet ISU’s requirements

n. By the end of the first year of a student’s enrolment at ISU, it may be determined that ISU is not able to meet the student’s educational needs or that the student does not meet ISU’s requirements. If this determination is made, the family will be advised and required to withdraw the student at the end of the school year (or earlier if necessary in extreme situations).

Notification period

o. If a child enters ISU after the start of the school year, there is a 48-hour teacher notification period from the time the admission interviews take place, to the child's first day of school.

Entering ISU after the school year begins

p. Children who enter ISU from schools with academic years out of synchrony with the ISU academic year, will be placed in the grade according to their date of birth. If they are coming from a school following a southern hemisphere academic calendar or from Japan or from other countries with an April start to the academic year, they will be placed in the grade level equivalent to the grade level of the school from which they are coming. The Director and Heads of Schools will make the final decisions on grade placement.

2. Admissions Criteria:Admission to ISU is based on the following:

a. demonstration by the applicant of adequate English language proficiency as determined by standardised testing administered by ISU and as further determined by oral interviews with the Head of Primary or Secondary as appropriate and submission of a writing sample as required by the Head of Primary or Secondary; (applicable to applicants to Grade 3 and above.)

b. demonstration by the applicant of past academic and school success as determined by report cards and transcripts and references from previous school(s);

c. demonstration by the applicant of readiness for the demands of the International Baccalaureate programme as determined through an interview with the Head of Primary or Head of Secondary as appropriate.

3. Admissions Process:

1st Obtain application forms from ISU or the ISU website and prepare all documentation as required. See #4 “Admissions Checklisk” below.

2nd Submit the completed application documentation online or via email or as hard copy to the Admissions and Marketing Assistant at ISU. (admissions@isumongolia.edu.mn)

3rd For PreK to Grade 2 applicants, arrange with the Admissions and Marketing Assistant for the applicant to attend a screening interview to be conducted by the Primary school administration and staff.

4th For Grade 3-12 applicants, arrange with the Admissions and Marketing Assistant for the applicant to sit the English proficiency testing prior to the Admissions Interview.

5th For all applicants for entry into Grade 3 or above and who have demonstrated appropriate performance with the English proficiency test, or in the case of the PreK-Gr 2 applicants who have successfully passed the screening process, arrange through the Admissions and Marketing Assistant for an admissions interview to be scheduled with either the Head of Primary or Head of Secondary as appropriate. The applying student as well as their parents attends the interview.

For all applicants who have not successfully performed on the testing and/or screening, the Admissions and Marketing Assistant informs the applicant’s parents of the results and invite them to re-apply at a later time.

6th For all applicants who have successfully performed on the testing and/or screening, the Admissions and Marketing Assistant arranges for an interview with the Head of Primary or Secondary as appropriate to discuss the application documents and testing results with the family, the need for further testing and/or EAL or other support if applicable, and the grade level placement.

7th The Head of Primary or Secondary as appropriate signs the application for admission form and recommends or does not recommend admission of the applicant to the Director. The application file is transferred to the Admissions and Marketing Assistant.

8th The Admissions and Marketing Assistant passes the application file to the Director who makes the final decision on the admission and signs the admission application form. The application file is transferred to the Admissions and Marketing Assistant.

9th If admitted, the Admissions and Marketing Assistant as appropriate notifies the family that they have an offer of admission to ISU. The family must confirm their acceptance or rejection of the offer. If the student is accepted, then the family must immediately pay the Registration Fee, the Capital Building Fund Fee and the tuition fee as listed on the fees schedule for that year. The family may postpone the offer according to 1i. above. If the family rejects the offer, the applicants name is removed from the application and waiting lists..

10th If the applicant is not admitted, the Admissions & Marketing Assistant notifies the family.

11th On confirmation of acceptance from the family, the Admissions and Marketing Assistant forwards the admission forms to the Accounts Manager. The Accounts Manager generates the invoice for payment, including the non-refundable Registration Fee and Capital Building Fund Fee and forwards the invoice to the family.

12th The Accounts Manager forwards the application file to the Receptionist who enters the student’s information into the database. Receptionist then files the application file in the student files cabinet in the office of the Deputy Director.

10. photocopy or digital copy of the applying student’s passport or birth certificate

5. Grade Level Placement:

In the Primary school the student’s age is the primary determinant for grade placement. Interview results are also considered. In the Secondary school the number of completed years of schooling, the student’s age, academic records and interview results are used in determining grade placement. When necessary, further diagnostic testing may be required to aid in the admissions and placement decisions.

Children will be expected to have a sufficient level of competency in English, as determined by the language proficiency testing results, in order to access the IB curriculum. Pre-kindergarten through Grade two primary students may enter ISU with minimal, if any, English language competency.

6. Immunization Records: Children entering the ISU are required to prove that their immunizations for the following diseases are up-to-date:

Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT)

Polio (TOPV)

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

Hepatitis B

Tuberculosis: (BCG or evidence of freedom from active tuberculosis as shown by a chest X-ray or approved intra-dermal tuberculin test)